The Geisel Gallery at Bausch & Lomb Building
downtown Rochester, NY
Lynn Duggan, on the faculty at Nazareth College, presents in exhibition a series of artworks titled "Transgressions". This installation at the Geisel Gallery in the Bausch and Lomb Building in downtown Rochester comes at the end of a long string ( for 18 years! ) of selected art exhibitions by some of the best visual artists in the region.
The space that is the Geisel Gallery leads from the central atrium down a well lit hall full of artwork to a large room with a recessed exhibition space that provides a focal point. There on a little pedestal is one of Lynn Duggan's poignant sculptural works - a skeletal amalgamation topped with a pair of old jawbones. This could be a casualty of war, except that the parts - and the way they align with each other build on visual notions that owe a debt to surrealists like Max Ernst and contemporary sculptors like David Smith ( particularly for his "Medals for Dishonor" ).
"The Sacred and The Profane"
mixed media,
by: Lynn Duggan
I like the narrative possibilities of the bas relief paper construction "The Sacred and The Profane" - this is a kind of collage with a robins nest, an egg, a ladder, a figure and a balancing teacup. There are also commemorative necklaces for such hot button issues like fracking, and a figure made from an old crutch that gave a different perspective on a jobs program.
"Transgressions" goes from one political statement to another with editorial fervor, but I might say that I most admire her ingenuity to create wall sculpture like her "Flesh and Bone" which may be more effective as a statement due to its simplicity.
The Geisel Gallery
Many thanks to Jean Geisel and her assistant Amy Vena for all the good work they put towards this venue, there are so few places like this for contemporary art that serve this community.
